


Day 1: Decorating The Tree

by aspoonfulofmoonlight



Series: Holiday OTP Challenge 2015! [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas OTP Challenge, Decorating the Tree, Feels, Fluff, Holiday OTP challenge, M/M, Post CATWS, Stucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 20:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5347763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspoonfulofmoonlight/pseuds/aspoonfulofmoonlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Bucky decorate the tree for their first Christmas after the Winter Soldier</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 1: Decorating The Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first fic in the Holiday OTP challenge! I know it's a little late and honestly most of the time the fics will be a bit ltee because since my exams are in january, there's a lot of work to be completed in December! The Holiday OTP challenge I'll be following can be found here http://cypress-tree.tumblr.com/post/36866885886/christmas-otp-challenge although I've tweaked a few of them just due to personal preference. Also, I haven't written in ages so I am a bit rusty, but hopefully this challenge will help get me back into the swing of things! I hope you enjoy this fic and you can subscribe to see short fics every day for the next 24 days! If you liked this please leave kudo's or comments and let me knoow what I can improve on! Thanks guys!

This Christmas was their first.

Well, not their first first. They'd had other Christmases of course, back when they were young and in love and the only things they had to worry about were bullies on the streets and if it was warm enough for Steve to go outside without a coat and not catch pneumonia. 

This was their first Christmas since everything- since Bucky fell off the train and since the Winter Solider and since Bucky came to him. 

They had an apartment now- Fury helped set them up with it. It wasn't small, but it wasn't large either. It was a shabby two-bedroom in Brooklyn, and it was old. The overhead lighting didn't work properly, so the only light was provided by a dozen or so lamps. It was simple, with beige walls and soft couches. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small. It was cozy and it was home. 

A few days ago, they had gone out and bought a tree. It was pretty small, only about 6 feet tall, and it was artificial (Steve didn't know what the stupid 'No real trees in the apartment building' rule was all about). Life was easier back when you could just chop down a tree, Steve thought. The artificial tree had about 10 different segments and branches, and at one point the stump had ended up as the tree topper (Bucky had insisted that that was the new American tradition). But nonetheless, after a good two hours of working on it, the tree was finally constructed and presentable.

Exhausted, Steve slumped back against the leg of the couch. The corner was digging into his back, but he closed his eyes anyways, and breathed. He could hear rustling as Bucky fiddled around with the tree, fluffing the branches and checking the connections. Suddenly the rusting stopped, and Steve slowing opened one eye. 

Bucky was standing at the back wall, arms crossed and leaning back, looking up and down the tree, scrutinizing. He stepped forward and adjusted a branch, and smiled, satisfied.

"Looks good." Steve said, opening the other eye, craning his neck to look up. Bucky stood a little straighter. He turned to Steve and grinned, offered out his hand.

Grabbing it, Steve let Bucky pull him up to standing; the metal was cold against his warm skin. But Bucky pulled him maybe a little too hard, because Steve tripped, and he fell into Bucky's chest- colliding with him with a solid thump that would have knocked the wind out of any normal man.

"Shit, sorry-" Bucky began, but before he could finish, Steve kissed him. 

Steve would never get tired of kissing Bucky, he thought. He was warm and he was real. 

When Steve pulled away, Bucky's eyes were still closed. He was smiling. Steve felt his heart flutter in his chest.

"Come on," he said softly, "Let's get the lights on it." 

Steve stood on one side and Bucky on the other, and together they wound the white lights around the tree, tucking them in and under branches, all the way to the top. Steve took a few steps back, adjusted the lights, stepped back again.

"You got the ornaments right?" Steve inquired as he tightened a bulb.

Bucky missed a beat. "What?"

Steve turned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "For the tree. I asked you to pick up some ornaments, remember?" 

"Oh, fuck." Bucky muttered. "I completely forgot. I'm sorry Stevie."

"Don't worry about it, Buck." Steve cut in. "We'll make do." He paused for a moment, and thought. "Actually, I think there are some candy canes in the cupboard by the fridge, can you run and get them for me? Maybe we can use those."

Bucky nodded and left the room, and returned a few seconds later, with a candy cane in his mouth and the box in his hands.

What a dope, Steve thought. He couldn't help but grin. 

Together, they hung the candy canes on the tree, hooking them over the branches, until it looked less empty and less bare. They each took a step back. 

"I thin we're finished," Steve said, glancing at his boyfriend. "Do you wanna kill the lights?"

Bucky leaned over and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into partial darkness, apart from the soft white glow and shadows that flickered in the corners. 

The poor tree looked rather sad and bare. The lights didn't quite reach some places, and the only ornaments were candy canes, but Steve loved it, because it was theirs.

He turned his head, looked at Bucky. There was a faint smile playing on his lips, and brightness in his eyes that Steve hadn't seen in god knows how long. Steve felt his chest swell, a lump form in his throat. He swallowed.

"We can't forget about the star," He said softly, and turned, pulled a parcel out from under the couch. It was a small, square box, wrapped in shiny red paper, with a gold bow. Bucky was looking at him quizzically, but still he put his hands out, accepting the gift. 

"What is it?"

"Open it." Was all Steve said.

Bucky sat on the edge of the couch, and Steve beside him. He slowly pulled the ribbon, gently tore the wrappings, lifted the lid off the box.

Steve heard Bucky's breath hitch. He watched with apprehension as Bucky slowly turned his head, his wet eyes meeting Steve's. "Stevie..." he whispered.

"Take it out." Steve said.

Bucky, with shaking hands, reached into the box, and slowly lifted out the crystal star- it was twinkling in the soft light. 

"Is- is this-"

"Yeah." Steve said quietly.

Awestruck, Bucky turned to look Steve in the eye. "How?"

Steve smiled at him, put his hand on Bucky's. "I have my ways."

Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat, blinked his eyes. He leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to Steve's mouth- a kiss that said thank you, I love you, I'm so lucky to have you. He could feel Steve smile against his lips. 

When they parted, Bucky stood, held the star in his hands. He took a deep breath, felt the air fill his lungs and his chest expand. He reached up, very very carefully, placed the star on the top of the tree.

When he stepped back and took in the sight. He felt Steve's arms wrap around his waist, Steve's chin rest on his shoulder. He put his hand over Steve's.

They stood there like that for a while, just holding each other, watching the lights on their tree twinkle and the star that they had on their very first christmas tree together back in the 30's. So much had changed, but so much was the same.

"I love you." Steve whispered in Bucky's ear. He leaned forward, kissing Bucky's cheek.

Bucky turned, their blue eyes met. 

They kissed, slowly this time, Steve's hand on the back of Bucky's neck. He tasted like sweetness and home. 

"I love you too."


End file.
